Freeduff Presbyterian Church
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EVALUATION REPORT No. 273 Freeduff Presbyterian Church, 3 Oldtown road, Freeduff, Cullyhanna, County Armagh Licence No.: AE/13/133E Sapphire Mussen Report Date: 20/09/2013 Contents List of Figures ......................................................................................................................................... 2 List of Plates ........................................................................................................................................... 3 1 Site Specific Information ............................................................................................................. 4 2 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 6 3 Archaeological Background........................................................................................................ 7 4 Site Description ............................................................................................................................ 7 5 Account of the evaluation ........................................................................................................... 8 6 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 13 Figures ................................................................................................................................................... 15 Plates ..................................................................................................................................................... 21 Appendix 1: Finds list .......................................................................................................................... 38 1 List of Figures Figure 1: Map showing the general location of Freeduff Presbyterian Church, Cullyhanna Figure 2: Location map showing proximity of Freeduff Presbyterian Church to nearby sites and monuments of archaeological importance; 1: Early Bronze Age Settlement site (NISMR ARM 027:009) 2: Megalithic Tomb (NISMR ARM 028:026) 3: Sheduled Iron Age Enclosure (in red), also known as The Dorsey (NISMR ARM 028:008) 4: Platform Rath (NISMR ARM 027:005) Figure 3: Six Inch, First edition County Series map (1829-1835), showing a ‘vault’ marked in an adjacent location to the development area (NIEA LPS, 2006) Figure 4: (Undated) plan of marked graves, as provided by Rev. Brian Wilson of Freeduff Church; The area of the proposed new development is highlighted. Figure 5: (Based on the architect’s plan supplied by Chris McCollum, Building Conservation Surveyor); Plan of the upstanding church with the walls of the proposed new extension (red), lines of new drainage/water courses (blue), currently visible marked grave-plots (hatched boxes), and grave plots which are no longer marked/visible (shaded grey boxes). Figure 6: Plan showing locations of excavated trenches (red), grave slabs lying within development area (yellow), and graves which are shown on the grave plan given in figure 3 but are now unmarked and not visible on the ground surface (grey) Figure 7: Plan of trench 4, showing location of grave cuts, coffins and skeletal remains. Note the positions of the grave markers (as shown in figure 3), corresponding with the excavated graves and remains. Figure 8: Harris matrices for all excavated trenches 2 List of Plates Plate 1: Development area (marked out with hazard tape), looking ENE towards church Plate 2: Development area (marked out with hazard tape) showing concrete around base of church, looking West Plate 3: Proximity of currently marked grave-plots to proposed extension (Hazard tape), looking ENE Plate 4: ‘Tidied-up’ grave-slabs lying across the line of planned foundations, looking NNW Plate 5: Trench 1, post removal C103, looking SSE Plate 6: Trench 1, post-excavation, looking SSE Plate 7: Trench 1, post-excavation, ENE facing section showing C108, 106, 103, 102, 101, looking WSW Plate 8: Trench 2, post removal C202, looking WSW Plate 9: Trench 2, post removal C205, looking WSW Plate 10: Trench 2, ENE facing section post removal of C208 & 209, looking WSW Plate 11: Broken concrete slab from C208 Plate 12: Trench 3, post removal C302, looking WSW Plate 13: Trench 3, disarticulated human skull, bone, teeth and iron coffin nails, within C303, looking WSW Plate 14: Trench 3, post-excavation view of NNW facing section, looking SSE Plate 15: Trench 3, post-excavation view showing bedrock, close to ground surface, looking ENE Plate 16: Trench 4, post removal C402, showing C406 with disarticulated human remains at NW end of trench, looking WSW Plate 17: Trench 4, C406, mid-excavation, coffin C413 & long-bones C414 visible, looking WSW Plate 18: Trench 4, head of coffin C408, and skull C409, visible in WSW facing section, looking ENE 3 Plate 19: Trench 4, remains of coffin & skeleton C410, with associated grave cut C407 visible on right, looking WSW Plate 20: Trench 4, post-removal C406, showing grave cuts (L-R) C412 (faint), C407 & 404. Skull & coffin C408/409 visible on top left. Also showing skeletal/coffin remains (L-R); C413, 414 & 410. Plate 21: Trench 4, as the church and graveyard is currently operational; trenches were fenced and boarded over for the duration of the excavation. Plate 22: Trench 4, skeletal remains C413 & 414, skull C409 visible at the bottom, looking ENE Plate 23: Trench 4, close up of articulated skeletal remains within coffin, C413 (The feet and lower long-bones can be seen). Also disarticulated long-bones C414 laid alongside articulated remains, note the position of the femur, lying in an opposing direction to the articulated remains, photograph taken looking WSW. Plate 24: Post-excavation of C406 & general cleanup, excavation ceased at this level and the trench was backfilled, looking NNW Plate 25: Trench 5, C505 post removal C504, remains of a disarticulated and fragmented vertebra from C504 impressed into C505 surface at bottom centre, looking SSE Plate 26: Trench 5, cut stone from C504 Plate 27: Trench 5, post-excavation showing shattered bedrock surface, looking ENE Plate 28: Trench 6, mechanically excavated, showing solid bedrock immediately below the surface, looking SSE Plate 29: Trench 7: Articulated human remains within a coffin (C705), fragments of the coffin lid/plate may still be surviving although the skeletal remains themselves are, like C410 in trench 4, rather delicate and easily fragmented. Looking NNW. 4 1.0 Site Specific Information Site Name: Freeduff Presbyterian Church Site location: Freeduff Presbyterian Church, 3 Oldtown road, Cullyhanna, Newry, County Armagh Townland: Freeduff County: Armagh SMR No.: Not Applicable Grid Reference: H 9255 1997 Excavation Licence: AE/13/133E Planning Reference: P/2013/0097/F Dates of evaluation: 29th July-3rd August 2013 Archaeologists Present: Sapphire Mussen, Grace McAlister and Dermot Redmond Brief Summary: An archaeological evaluation was carried out in August 2013 at Freeduff Presbyterian Church, County Armagh, over the footprint of a proposed new extension. Due to its proximity to surrounding marked graves and the possibility of uncovering human remains, trenches were first excavated by hand, followed by some further work by mechanical excavator. Articulated human remains were found in the form of several burials which were recorded in situ before being re-covered. Due to the findings, it will be necessary to carry out further mitigation at the site prior to development. The church will have to consult the Planning service for an update on how to proceed. Size of area opened: 8 square metres (0.0008 hectares) Type of Evaluation: Excavation of up to six hand dug trenches followed by further small scale evaluation with mechanical excavator Current land use: Grassed area within church grounds/graveyard, containing no grave markers or indications of burials on the ground surface Intended land use: For development of extension to upstanding church, to contain hall, lobby and kitchen. 5 2.0 Introduction An archaeological evaluation was undertaken at Freeduff Presbyterian Church, Cullyhanna, County Armagh (figure 1), in order to assess the impact of a proposed new extension, on any previously unknown archaeological features or unmarked burials. The current upstanding building dates to the 18th century and although it is not thought that the site is of any archaeological significance, it is in close proximity to a number of important, known archaeological sites which are listed in the Northern Ireland Sites and Monuments Record database (figure 2). Seven trenches were excavated with a total area of 8 square metres within the footprint of the development area. Placement of the trenches was hindered by the presence of five grave slabs (not in their original locations), lying across the line of one of the proposed new walls (figure 6). The excavation was aided however, by the provision of a map of grave plots (undated, figure 4) by the church minister, Reverend Brian Wilson. This helped to assess the possible location of burials within the development area and place trenches accordingly. The initial excavation of the seven trenches was carried out by hand due to the likelihood of human remains being uncovered. A mechanical excavator was used to excavate the final two trenches in areas where no burials were anticipated. The mechanical excavator was also used to complete one of the hand-dug trenches in which no human remains were found and whose depth had become too